Ottoman Empire 1916 Map Anatolia Middle East Hejaz Railway Arabian Peninsula Palestine Qatar

Ottoman Middle East Map from Muallim Safvet Geylangil’s Yeni Resimli ve Haritalı Coğrafya-yı Osmanî, c. 1916

Description:

This original Ottoman Turkish geographical map comes from Muallim Safvet Geylangil’s Yeni Resimli ve Haritalı Coğrafya-yı Osmanî (New Illustrated and Mapped Ottoman Geography), a geography textbook published in Istanbul in 1332, corresponding approximately to 1916. Prepared for use in Ottoman schools, the work reflects the late Ottoman period’s growing emphasis on illustrated educational materials and the use of maps to communicate geographical knowledge more effectively.

The map depicts Ottoman territories and neighbouring regions across the Middle East, with the entire Arabian Peninsula clearly represented. It includes areas corresponding to present-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and parts of the surrounding region, alongside portions of Iranian territory. These geographical details provide a historical snapshot of how the region was represented in an Ottoman educational publication during the First World War.

A particularly significant feature is the depiction of the Hejaz Railway, an important infrastructure project of the late Ottoman period. Built to connect Damascus with the holy cities of the Hejaz, the railway held strategic, administrative, and symbolic importance for the empire. Its inclusion makes the map especially interesting to collectors studying Ottoman transport infrastructure, territorial geography, and the political geography of the Middle East in the early twentieth century.

The textbook was prepared for students in the advanced primary-school division, known as Mekâtib-i İbtidâiye Devre-i Âliye. As an original educational map, this piece illustrates how geography was taught in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, combining regional geography with the depiction of important transport routes. It is a compelling addition for collectors of Ottoman maps, historical geography, educational publications, and Middle Eastern history.

Key Features:

• Title: Map from Yeni Resimli ve Haritalı Coğrafya-yı Osmanî

• Author: Muallim Safvet Geylangil

• Date: 1332, approximately 1916

• Place of Publication: Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

• Region: The Arabian Peninsula

• Geographic Coverage: The Arabian Peninsula, Ottoman territories in the Middle East, and parts of neighbouring Iranian territory

• Historical Context: Ottoman territorial geography during the First World War

• Map Details: Regional boundaries and the Hejaz Railway

• Educational Purpose: Geography textbook for Ottoman advanced primary schools (Mekâtib-i İbtidâiye Devre-i Âliye)

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Dimensions: 25.2 × 16.2 cm